Happy Birthday Tracie!

Hello Friends!

Boy May is a busy month for birthdays!  Tracie is a friend from the SCS blogging group Crafty Gals.  Her favorite color is pink.  I know she uses a lot of Stampin Up, so I pulled out this doily stamp and used pink.  I accented the card with black, as I think black makes everything stand out better!

I know you are probably thinking where is the image with the copics?  Well, I tried to step outside the box a little and do something different.  Everyone needs a change once in a while!

Recipe:

Image: Stampin Up

Embellishments:  Bo Bunny

You will find Tracie's blog on my side bar.  Stop by and wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time...

Athina

PPP May Challenge!

Good Morning!

I am not been around much lately, it seems life has taken over.  Over at SCS we have a monthly challenge for the Pink Pajama Party Girls.  This month Carolina was the host. The challenge:

Make a card using an image of a mother, with 2 designer papers, flowers and 3 of something (brads, buttons etc)


Well, I already had my Mother's day cards completed and I don't have any children of my own, other than my two fat bassets.  So I found this cute little image by Sassy Cheryl's and thought it fit for me anyhow.  Probably not your traditional image of a mother, but hey, I am not traditional in most cases.

The image is colored with copics, see below for info.  I tried to make some grass under the little girl to fill some space and also practiced my fur on the cute little dog.

Recipe:
Paper:  Cryogen & MME Lost and Found
Embellishments:  Black Thread, Martha Stewart punch, Flower, Ribbons (3) and a brad.
Ink:  Memento, Copic

The inside was left blank intentionally since I did not have a person in mind for this card.

Copics used

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Bearly Mine - Anything goes

Sweet Stamps - Anything goes

Use It Tuesday - Use 2 hoarded items (Paper, flowers & ribbons)

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fantastic day!

Athina

May ATC Swap

Hello!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that my family is doing an ATC swap.  An ATC is a 2.5x3.5 inch trading card.  May's host was my cousin Nikki.  She lost her father in May of last year.  He was an awesome man, that no one can ever fill the void he has left behind.  We all loved him very much and miss him dearly.  So her theme for May was "Gone, but not forgotten."

Well, you could take many different avenues with that theme.  I wanted to make my look old and warn, but unique.  To start off, I used a clear stamp (don't know the name) and embossed the word love on the white paper.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks in Brushed Corduroy, Mustard Seed and Wild Honey.  I pounced them on my craft mat and spritzed them with water.  Then I ran the card thru the inky mess.  Don't expect to stay clean if you do this! lol!  I then took my heat gun and dried the piece of paper.  You can see how the color varies on each card.  Nothing will be the same.

After the card was dry, I used more embossing ink and used a Stampabilites Clock Faces Background stamp to stamp the card.  I then used patina Perfect Pearls to go over the embossing ink.  You see the clock faces come thru on the card.  I then took my distressing tool and messed up the edges and used more Brushed Corduroy ink to add age to the card.

I hope you enjoyed the cards!  They were a lot of fun to make and very messy.  I hope you will give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by!

Athina

Happy Birthday Diane!

Hello Friends!

Boy May is a busy month for birthdays!  I have two more after Diane.  Diane is a friend from the SCS blogging group Crafty Gals.  Her favorite color is purple, so I came up with this cute celebration hippo from Magnolia to help her celebrate her birthday!

Recipe:

Image: Magnolia

Paper:  Cryogen, MME

Ink:  Memento, Cryogen

Embellishments:  Ribbon, stickles, butterfly

Copics:  I am sorry, I did not write them down.

You will find Diane's blog on my side bar.  Stop by and wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Thank you for stopping by!

Until next time...

Athina

Happy Birthday Melina!

Hello Friends,

Today we are celebrating Melina's birthday.  She is the leader of the Craft Gals group over at SCS. I hope she has a beautiful day and gets to enjoy it.  

I have been taking a class over at CMC Online Classroom and in the class Suzanne Dean showed us how to color a copper pot and use patina to make it look a bit old.  Very fun technique!

Recipe

Image:  Designed 2 Delight

Ink:  Copic, Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper:  Cryogen & Cosmo Cricket

Inside Sentiment:  American Art Stamp

Embellishment: Ribbon, brad, flower, pearls

Melina started a challenge blog a few months ago and I have not gotten a chance to play along.  Well, today that will change.  My card fits her challenge perfectly over at Twisted Tuesday Challenges.  Check it out and play along!

I would like to enter this in the following challenges also:

Alphabet Challenge - G is for Garden

Card Makin Mamas - Flowers

Crafty Catz - Happy Birthday

Fat Pages With Attitude - Butterflies and blooms

The Poodles Parlour - Anything goes

Crafty Ribbons Challenge - Flowers

Do You Stack Up - Flowers

CMC - Anything goes

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantastic weekend!

Until next time!

Athina

So Proud of you JJ!

Hello Friends!

Sorry I have been absent lately.  There has been a lot going on.  I have just a quick post for you today.  My little brother (maybe not so little any more) graduated with his Masters in Business on Saturday.  He has worked so hard with a full time + lots of overtime job, going to school at night and having a family.  Well, he finally made it!  We are so proud of him!!

I did not want to get him a traditional graduation present, as it would just sit around and collect dust.  So I started thinking..... He, his wife & daughter have all had to sacrifice for his education.  His little girl will be 3 this July, so I thought a trip to the Zoo would be perfect.  They could spend some family time together and make a lasting memory!

My two brothers and I with my niece.

So I made a simple little envelope with a band wrapped around it for his tickets.  The image is by bugaboo stamps, colored with copics (W1, 3, 5, 7, E13, 99, 97, 40, 41, 42, 43, 50, 53, 55, R22, 24, 27, 29).

The inside had a special note, a gift certificate for breakfast to start their day, tickets to the zoo with parking passes and a map and money for lunch.

I put the envelope in a soft sided cooler along with snacks and drinks for the day (gold fish & animal crackers), sunscreen and a book about the zoo for him to share with his little girl before they go.

He loved it!  His comment was that I could give a whole new meaning to family time.  I am so proud of him and hope they have a fun filled day at the zoo!

Thank you for stopping by.

Until next time...

Athina

Crafty Gals May Challenge

Welcome Back Blogging Friends!

Today, I have a challenge from the Crafty Gals Blogging Group over at SCS.  Our host this month is
Tracie and she gave us plenty of time to create.  Thank you Tracie!

So our challenge this month....

"Celebrating Those Who Love Us"

This month's theme celebrates those who have sacrificed so much to help us become the people we are today. This could be mothers, fathers, friends, Jesus, or anyone you'd like to celebrate! On your project, include the following:
1. At least 3 layers
2. At least 2 embellishments
3. At least 1 sentiment

I knew instantly who I would make this challenge card for.  A very special man in my life, my first love, my best friend, MY DAD!

We have always had a very special bond.  He was 17 when I was born and being a young man at the time, he was afraid he would break me if he held me.  As I became a toddler, he was my playmate at night when he would come home from a long day at work.  There were times he worked two jobs to make sure he could provide for our family.  As I got older, he became my best friend.

He is a very kind, honest and down to earth man with a wild ornery streak.  He is rarely home because he is out helping his kids, family or friends.  The man does not know the work NO, but that is part of what makes him so special.  He is very selfless.  He is always there for a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on or a good laugh.  I enjoy the time we get to spend together, though it always seems it is never enough.

This challenge falls on a weekend where it is very important to let my dad know how much I love him and how important he is to me.  I love you dad, you mean the world to me.  Thank you for your love and friendship.  I know I can always count on you.  You have made a difference!

So back to the challenge.  The image is by Fred She Said Designs, colored with copics.  I am taking the Copic Advance online class by Suzanne Dean.  This is my attempt at a rusty truck.  I put some brads, twine and a little heart tied at the bottom.  The heart charm was silver, but I rusted it up with my brown copics to match the card.  I distressed all the edges to match the worn and tattered truck.

copics used

Please stop by and see the other wonderful creations from the Crafty Gals group.

Melina ~ Crafty Scrapper
Jackie ~ Kreate With Me 2
Tracie ~ The Crafty Touch
Carolina ~ Cardolina Scrapolina
Barb ~ Barb's Inkin' into Retirement
Diane ~ Stampin Ldyglfr62
Lela ~ Lela's Crafty Corner
Heather ~ Lost in the Land of Stamping
Patty ~ LaLatty's Stamp 'N Stuff
Jeanette ~ Cre8tive Play: It's Cheaper than Therapy

I would also like to enter this into the following challenges:

The Poodles Parlour - Anything goes

Wags n Whiskers - Distressing

Digi Doodle Shops best - Anything Goes

Paper Craft Bliss - Vintage

Fab n Funky - Celebrate Maleness

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you were able to take some inspiration from the post today.  Make sure to tell your loved ones what they mean to you.  You never know what tomorrow holds.

Have a great day!

Until next time....

Athina